Lloyd Kahn is the editor-in-chiefof Shelter Publications, an independent California publisher.Shelter Publications specializes in books on buildingand architecture,as well as health and fitness.Lloyds latest book is Small Homes: The Right Size.For more info, see: www.shelterpub.comLloyd Kahn is the editor-in-chief of Shelter Publications, an independent California publisher. Shelter Publications specializes in books on building and architecture, as well as health and fitness. Lloyd’s latest book is Small Homes: The Right Size.For more info, see: www.shelterpub.com
Twitter: www.twitter.com/lloydkahn

I get some wonderful comments on this blog from time to time, and this, from Bruce, was a gem. Regarding WFMU out of Jersey City:
"… a terrific reggae show every Wed night, which, like all of the shows, is archived, so that you can listen any time you like. 'The Pounding System with Clay: Five decades of roots reggae, dancehall, dub, and ska.' - http://www.wfmu.org/playlists/PS
This is SO good. Praise Jah. I just pledged to the station. My only reggae listening lately has been "The Joint" on Sirius Radio, and it's pretty mediocre. Unlike other Sirius musical stations like B.B. King's Blues, Outlaw Country, Bluegrass, Underground Garage, the '50s, etc., all good quality.
I knew nothing of reggae until 1973, when word was out about a band from Jamacia playing in San Francisco, so one night we drove into the city to Mother's nightclub on Broadway. The place was packed. No chairs or tables, just a square room with a band at one end. People shoulder to shoulder. Well, pause for effect … it was the Wailers -- the singer was Bob Marley, who was of course great -- but it's the band that I remember most. Just never heard anything like that. What power! (They were just about to transition from underground to mainstream.)
In the '70s I made friends with a guy at a reggae music store in DC and I'd call him to get recommendations, then order the (vinyl) albums.
It's good to be back on the reggae track again.
"Praise Jah and all hees creations mon."

"Greg Parham of Durango says his tiny house has all the necessary amenities – a loft for sleeping, and a kitchen with a stove and water heater that operate on propane. Parham, like others, has found a way to have more freedom, a simpler lifestyle and not be bound to an unmanageable mortgage.…"Click here.

"New York's famous City Hall subway station, one of the most gorgeous gems in the world of mass transit, has been closed for decades. Now it can be viewed again by in-the-know riders of the 6 train.…The City Hall Station was the original southern terminus of the first "Manhattan Main Line" built by the Interborough Rapid Transit (IRT) Company. The line, opened in 1904, was intended to be a showpiece and crown jewel of the new subway system. Unlike the rest of the line, City Hall featured tall tile arches, brass fixtures, and skylights that ran along the entire curve of the station — a sort of miniature Grand Central Station. In fact, befitting the elegance of the station, it was even the chosen place for hanging the commemorative plaques recognizing the achievement of building the underground train system.Click here.Photo (c) 2009 Fred GuentherFrom Anonymous

Maybe once a month or so, a hummingbird gets inside the greenhouse, or kitchen, and flutters cluelessly against a window. It's easy to gently trap them in your hands, whenceupon they lie motionless. You feel this warm, soft creature against your palms. V. peaceful. Here (about 5 minutes ago), it lay still for maybe 5 seconds after I opened my hands, then took off buzzing like a mini-helicopter, iridescent green flashing in sun. (Smudges on hand from finger-caulking tin roof holes yesterday.)

(So titled after San Francisco Chronicle columnist Herb Caen's Friday columns, called "Friday Fish Fry;" Herb was master of 3-dot stories. I started reading him at the bkfst table at age 15. In the '70s, he answered a couple of my letters with his Underwood upright typewriter. Wonderful man…Sunny Monday Morning We've had 3 days of real hot weather, now cooling. Blue skies, glassy ocean. Swam last night… Once in a while I try to throw together fragments revolving in my mind, a la Herb C…Tom Clancy on Writing “I tell them you learn to write the same way you learn to play golf,” he said. “You do it, and keep doing it until you get it right. A lot of people think something mystical happens to you, that maybe the muse kisses you on the ear. But writing isn't divinely inspired—it's hard work.”
That's why I'm so slow at posting stuff…Now listening to The Abyssinians Super reggae vocal harmonies. Gimme that old time reggae! "Jason White" here. (I only like about half the songs I hear on "The Joint," Sirius Radio's reggae station. A lot of insipid or preachy stuff or songs you've heard 100 times.…Great Music on KWMR Our local station has really good music programs around 7-9 PM (West Coast time). Blues, bluegrass, reggae, cajun, R&R, eclectic mix of DJs. I listen to it on radio while doing dishes (and sneakily dance when no one's around), but think it can be streamed…Free Books to Prisons We have always sent free books to any prisoner who writes us. Letter received a few days ago:
"Shelter Publications,
I wish to thank you for your gift of books. they have been a blessing, not only for…me, but to the many I have loaned them to who are trying to dream and create a future as they leave prison…Thank you for your gift and the many hours of studying, dreaming and contemplation these books provide.
-J.M., Palmer Correctional Center, Palmer Alaska" Thrilling feedback.
I wish there were some way to get our (fitness and building) books into prison libraries (if there are such). Any researchers out there who can find a list? Or if you know someone in prison, let them know they can write for free books.…

Tidelog Tide Tables I have this posted over the sink and look at it every day. A lot of surfers and fishermen do the same. A graphic view of tides, with art by M.C. Escher. For east and west coasts, including BC. Here

Blues on the Canal Rich Jones sent this link to houseboat moving along an English canal with blues band playing: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oc5abi78GxUTiny Homes On The Move We're gettin there! About 90% complete. This has been the most complex book ever, the most people ever to deal with, in many parts of the world. USA, Canada, UK, France, Australia, China, + sailboats cruising the high seas. Two main categories:Wheels: vans, trucks-with-camper-shells, housetrucks, house buses, and trailersWater: sailboats, houseboats, and tugboats
There are some 90 of these units in the book, either rolling on the road or floating on the water. They are used as either permanent residences or for trips of varying lengths upon life’s highways and waterways. Book should be out in May 2014…I love the life I live,And I live the life I love.-Muddy Waters

"Just a couple of weeks ago, Cynthia Coconato’s home was the street and her car, and her daily priority was finding a place to park for the night.
Today, Coconato is among the first residents of Opportunity Village, Eugene’s new transitional housing center for the homeless.
She lives in an 8-foot-by-8-foot “budget bungalow” that gives her a bed, some shelves, a window and a door. It is currently uninsulated and has a noticeable gap where the walls meet the roof.
But for Coconato, it’s more than just a temporary place to lay her head. It’s the ticket to a better life.
“It’s amazing,” she said Saturday while showing off her bungalow during the grand opening for Opportunity Village in west Eugene. “It gets better every day.”
So far, 16 small housing units are open for use in the village, with 14 more to come. Already up are nine of the budget bungalows and seven Conestoga huts, 6-foot-by-12-foot structures with a curved roof that gives them the look of a homesteader’s prairie schooner.…"Click here.

Original alert from Tiny House News.
Every day over 3 billion people in the developing world cook food on open fires or inefficient cook stoves fueled by coal or solid biomass, jeopardize human health, contribute to household & community air pollution, and impact environmental devastation by depleting forests and increasing soil erosion. 4 million premature deaths occur every year due to exposure from toxic smoke emissions. Consequently women and children are disproportionately impacted by household air pollution.Click here. Mike W